Article Guidelines

Scotsman Guide presents a free opportunity to reach and educate the tens of thousands of mortgage professionals who subscribe to our award-winning commercial and residential magazines, in print and online. By writing for us, you receive access to the kind of stable, insider readership that blogs and startups simply can't offer.

Articles must be written in third-person narrative. First-person articles will be turned down or returned for revision.

Bio:

For each bylined author, please include the author's name, position, company and contact info (e-mail address and/or phone number). Each article's bio must be 75 words or fewer.

Format:

Microsoft Word documents are strongly preferred.

Audience:

Accepted articles must be geared to mortgage originators rather than consumers.

Originality:

Previously published articles — in print or online, in whole or in part — are not allowed.

Advertising:

Because of our editorial model, references to companies, their employees or their proprietary products are not allowed in text; they are OK in the bio and byline. Note that Scotsman Guide's advertising department operates separately from our editorial department, which allows us to make all editorial decisions independent of sales influence.

Spelling and
grammar check:

Although we do edit articles, we strongly suggest you proofread your work before sending, to avoid miscommunication.

Scotsman Guideaccepts articles from professionals in all parts of the real estate finance industry, from large lenders to title-insurance companies, from mortgage brokers to mortgage-technology firms.
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Scotsman Guide is designed for and read by mortgage brokers and loan originators, and we look for educational articles about issues and trends facing brokers specifically. The most common reason articles are rejected or sent back for a rewrite is because they are written for lenders or borrowers, who are not our audience.
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Do I have to write about your monthly focus or theme?

No. Scotsman Guide accepts articles on any topic for any issue. Each month, our issues are pegged to a certain Focus, to which you can target your article. This helps us stay on top of industry trends and provide our readers with the most up-to-date information.
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I've published an article before. Can I submit that same article to Scotsman Guide?

No, Scotsman Guide does not accept previously published articles.
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When should I submit my article?

Any time. Deadlines are generally six weeks in advance of publication (e.g., April 9 for the June edition). Because editorial space fills up quickly, try to submit your piece as early as possible.
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How can I stay on top of your deadlines?

We're happy to stay in touch with prospective authors — and we try to do so in numerous ways. In addition to sending e-mail reminders, we also post Scotsman Guidenews and deadline information on our
Facebook fan page and on Twitter:

Scotsman Guide's editorial committee will review the piece for approval. An editor will get back to you with the committee's decision in about a week. We will put accepted articles on the schedule for the next-available issue.
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What happens after my article is accepted?

It will be put on the schedule for the next-available issue. You will be sent an author contract to sign and return prior to the editing process. The editor you have been assigned will then edit and fact-check the piece. We will contact you with any questions throughout the process.
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Will I know which month's edition my article will appear in?

Yes. If we need to hold it for space considerations, you will be notified immediately.
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How do you choose the Lead Article?

Our Lead Article is what we consider our best article each month. For lead consideration, submissions should be at least 1,200 words, concise and well-constructed. It also should be timely to the industry.
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Can I republish my article in another publication after it appears in Scotsman Guide?

You must wait three months after your print-publication date (i.e., Nov. 1 for our November issue) in Scotsman Guide before publishing it again. If your article appears in the January edition of Scotsman Guide, for example, you cannot republish it before April 1. Any third-party republication within 12 months of the print-publication date also is subject to terms specified in your Scotsman Guide author contract.
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Can I submit more than one article?

Yes. Keep in mind that we do not publish more than one article by the same author or company in the same issue.
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We do not pay our authors for articles, though we do offer exposure to our subscriber base of tens of thousands of mortgage originators. Published authors also receive a free PDF version of their article as it appears in the magazine. We encourage authors to post this PDF to their companies' Web sites and to distribute it at industry events.
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Can I submit press releases?

Yes, we would be happy to stay on top of your company's news. We do not, however, publish press releases at this time.
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These products complement the features currently available in our print magazines and on scotsmanguide.com, none of which we have any plans to discontinue at this time. Sign up for your digital-magazine subscription
here.
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I saw an article I like. Can I reprint and distribute it?

Reprinting, republishing or redistributing Scotsman Guide articles in any form likely requires consent of the bylined author(s). Author contact information is included in the bio of each article.

It is possible, however, to link to articles on scotsmanguide.com and to share using Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Digg, etc., via our
digital-magazine sites.

If you are the author(s) or with the company represented in the byline, please refer to the specifications outlined in contract the author(s) signed with Scotsman Guide Media prior to publishing. We do e-mail a PDF version of each author's article to each author and representative. These can be re-posted on the author's website. For questions, e-mail
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What is your Top Originators list?

Our annual Top Originators rankings is what we believe to be the mortgage industry's most comprehensive ranking of mortgage brokers, bankers, originators, loan officers, etc.